Bluetooth, a new universal radio interface, has been developed in recent years, enabling electronic devices to communicate via short-range radio connections. Bluetooth is a computing and telecommunications industry specification that details how mobile devices can easily interconnect with each other and with non-mobile devices using a short-range wireless connection. Bluetooth is used to create ad hoc networks of up to eight devices operating together. The Bluetooth technology not only eliminates the need for wires, cables and connectors between various electronic devices, it also paves the way for new and completely different devices and communications networks. Bluetooth creates a digital wireless protocol to address end-user problems arising from the proliferation of various mobile devices that need to keep data synchronized and consistent from one device to another, thereby allowing equipment from different vendors to work seamlessly together. Bluetooth devices are designed to find other Bluetooth devices within their ten-meter radio communications range and to discover what services they offer, using a service discovery protocol (SDP). The SDP searching function relies on links being established between the requesting Bluetooth device in a client role and the responding Bluetooth device in a server role. Once a link has been established, it can be used to find out about services in the responding Bluetooth device and how to connect to them. Bluetooth products may be used to provide links between mobile computers, mobile phones, portable handheld devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other mobile devices and connectivity to the Internet. Bluetooth access points provide TCP/IP services to the terminal applying the profile. A user terminal is capable of finding an access point service based on the service discovery protocol. Establishing a new link requires various processes to be performed. In Bluetooth networks, devices perform a process known as paging. Paging establishes an unsecured connection between two devices.

In infrastructure networks, a number of access point base stations form a cellular network for communicating with wireless mobile stations or other mobile devices. In this type of network, all messages transmitted as wireless communication signals are first transmitted to an access point station, regardless of whether the traffic is between two terminals or a terminal and the wired network, i.e. the mobile terminals do not communicate on a peer-to-peer basis. Each access point station is typically connected to a network server, such as part of an ethernet or other network infrastructure. The wireless AP is configured to include a local processor and a wireless LAN card, for receiving communications from a mobile unit. The mobile terminals are provided with wireless LAN cards, whereby they can access the wired network, such as the Internet, through said access points, which are mainly located in various hot spots, such as airports, convention centers, railway stations, or shopping malls. This type of centralized wireless communication using cells provides control over communications along existing wireless mobile devices. Typically, the wireless communication signals are a spread spectrum communications signal, for example, a direct sequence spread spectrum signal, or a frequency hopping spread spectrum signal. In a typical wireless network, each mobile terminal communicates with a networked system via a radio or optical link in order to allow for a real time exchange of information. The mobile terminals communicate through one of several access points interconnected to the network. The access points allow for a wireless data communication path to be formed. In operation, wireless network provides the ability to determine the location of mobile network nodes, asset tags, and network access points. Throughout this description, this ability is referred to as location determination. Wireless network provides location determination of node through the use of wireless links. Wireless network also provides location determination of asset tag through the use of wireless links.

An access point (AP) provides a basic and extended service set to one or more stations that communicate with the AP. The AP facilitates and coordinates communication and channel access between stations. In a wireless access point, a single or dual band radio component is operated with one or more omnidirectional or directional antennas having moderate gain. The supportable throughput of an AP is typically determined by the antenna coverage pattern combined with the signal rate and modulation type provided by the radio component. Most applications can be installed with either a dipole antenna for an omni-directional coverage pattern or an external patch antenna for a directional coverage pattern. AP's and antennas may be mounted in a variety of environments. A wireless access point can communicate with mobile terminals operating within the cell coverage area of the access point. A cell is a geographic area in which an access point has sufficient signal strength to transmit data to and receive data from a mobile terminal with an acceptable error rate. The cell coverage area is the area in which the access point can reliably communicate with a mobile terminal. Once the mobile terminal roams outside of the cell coverage area of the access point, the mobile terminal can no longer communicate with the LAN through that particular access point. In order to provide sufficient WLAN coverage in an office, two or more wireless access points are needed because the PC/Laptop needs to have a direct, unobstructed path to a wireless access point. In order for a computer to communicate with a wireless AP, a computer may include a wireless network adapter that includes a transceiver designed to send and receive signals in a frequency range corresponding to the WLAN's operation type (e.g., 2.4 GHz frequency range for IEEE 802.11b WLANs). These wireless network adapters comprise a wireless network adapter card use in personal computers and a PCMCIA wireless network adapter card for use in laptops.

In a wireless environment, there is a wireless client and an access point. In a common-type wireless LAN, the access point provides a data link connection between the wired LAN and the wireless LAN clients by providing associations, where an RF link has been established between the access point and the client. The access point also makes authentication. An authentication implies that a client is allowed access to the network. Authentication can mean the exchange of security keys between the AP and the client for encryption and decryption, allowing for a secure data link. The communication between the client and the access point is transmitted over public air space, so the communication is visible to anyone within range. In order to protect the privacy and contents of the transmitted communication, the information is commonly encrypted. To enable encryption, an encryption key is distributed to each of the clients utilizing the wireless network. The access point also buffers packets for clients that are in power save mode. Access points provide test functions for the client to test the data link and RF link connection to the client. The AP provides roaming between other access points. Access point roaming occurs when a terminal device performs one or more handovers. During a handover, an existing communications link with a first access point is terminated, while a new communications link with a second access point is established. In general, wireless access points are network elements that may provide network services, receive network services, or both.